Aid rushed to survivors after Afghan landslide kills hundreds

Published on May 5, 2014 1:40 pm

Aid groups rushed to help survivors of a landslide in northern Afghanistan that entombed a village, killing hundreds of people and leaving 700 families homeless in the mountains.Survivors sit in a tent near the site of landslide. (AP)

Much of Aab Bareek village in Badakhshan province was swallowed yesterday by a fast-moving tide of mud and rock that swept down the hillside and left almost no trace of 300 homes.Survivors sit with their possessions near the site of landslide. (AP)

Government officials said the current death toll was at least 300 and warned it could rise by hundreds more, after initial reports suggested that as many as 2,500 people may have died.Survivors sit and walk with their possessions near the site of the landslide. (AP)

Large crowds gathered at the remote disaster site, where rescue efforts were abandoned due to the volume of deep mud covering houses. Only a few bodies have been pulled from the debris.Survivors struggle to receive some donations near the site of landslide. (AP)

Afghan man eats bread as he waits to receive some donations near the site of landslide. (AP)

"Around 1,000 families are thought to have been affected with some 300 houses totally destroyed," the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement. A displaced Afghan family receives aid near the site of a landslide at the Argo district in Badakhshan province. (Reuters)

"Assessments to determine priorities on immediate child protection and water, sanitation, and hygiene needs for (displaced) families are continuing."A displaced Afghan woman holds her child as she sits near the site of a landslide at the Argo district in Badakhshan province. (Reuters)

It added that 700 families were displaced, with many fleeing their homes in fear the unstable hillside could unleash more deadly landslides.An Afghan woman cries after she lost her family in a landslide at the Argo district in Badakhshan province. (Reuters)

Tents, emergency food supplies, health services and support for children who lost parents were being organised after many survivors spent another night in the open. An Afghan woman shakes a sheet from dust near the site landslide. (AP)

An Afghan survivor walks with donations, near the site of the landslide. (AP)

An Afghan child receives polio vaccination drops near the site of a landslide at the Argo district in Badakhshan province. (Reuters)

Relief work has now turned to caring for survivors. An Afghan child survivor holds a baby as she receives some blanket donations, near the site of landslide. (AP)

Afghan villagers rebuild their house after a landslide at the Argo district in Badakhshan. (Reuters)